First Drive: Ford Fiesta
Chart Topper
Review and Photos by Gerry Frechette
Over the last several years, Ford has been essentially a truck company, with cars like the Mustang and Fusion available, too. The B- and C-class small car segments have not had a big Ford presence, the most-recent Focus compact not being the most stylish or modern such car on the market.
That is all changing this year, as the new Fiesta subcompact leads the way this summer, to be followed later on by the all-new Focus. Together, they should catapult Ford to the top of the charts in small cars.
As we wrote in our preview last fall, the Fiesta is a world car based on European design and engineering, and as such, it brings a level of equipment, refinement and performance that will raise the bar in the segment.
In fact, Ford is boasting that Fiesta offers 15 class-exclusive technologies usually found in vehicles at significantly higher price points.
One of them is a segment-first six-speed twin-clutch automatic transmission, called PowerShift, as found in more and more high-end sports cars. In this economy car, its main benefit is greatly decreased fuel consumption, to the point where a Fiesta so equipped sips but 5.1 litres per hundred kilometres on the highway, claimed to be best in class. Unfortunately, there is neither a sport mode in automatic operation, nor any manual shift capability, so the enthusiast doesn’t get the full fun factor out of the transmission. For him or her, there is the five-speed manual, which is noticeably zippier.
Having said that, those who like a bit of fun with their economy will find much to like in the Fiesta. The 1.6-litre DOHC four with variable valve timing and 119 hp is a willing performer, and the car’s chassis complements it well, with a good balance of smooth ride and flat cornering. All the major controls inside the car – clutch, brakes, throttle, steering, shifter – are nicely weighted and smooth in operation in the sporty tradition. Enthusiastic driving is quite possible in this little car, and that can’t be said for most of the others in the class (although that should change later in the year). All that, and the levels of noise, vibration and harshness are very low, too.
Mention must also be made of the full suite of safety equipment in the Fiesta. The seven standard air bags include a segment-first driver’s knee bag, plus side curtains. Also standard across the board, even in the $12,999 base model, are electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, and tire pressure monitoring. Credit to Ford for all this gear on an economy car; a new standard in small-car safety has been set.
As with almost all Fords now, the latest SYNC Voice-Activated Communications is available with turn-by-turn navigation, a standard audio input jack and an available audio upgrade. There is more connectivity available in U.S.-destined Fiestas, thanks to Canada’s infernal regulatory issues, so we might someday see the likes of internet radio and other services in our SYNC systems. Other available features include programmable ambient lighting, moonroof and leather seating. People are now buying small cars because they want to, not only because they need to, and the Fiesta gives them the comforts they have come to expect in the bigger cars they are getting out of.
Available as a four-door sedan and five-door hatch, across four trim levels, the stylish and well-equipped Fiesta has given all the other manufacturers of subcompacts something to shoot for.
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